The Syncing of the Screens: A second screen so a commercial gets the attention for which the sponsor has paid.
This is what election night is like in America these days:
I had gathered with about dozen other people, ostensibly to watch the results on TV. But the TV received, at best, divided attention.
To my left, my wife Carol had fired up her laptop and was foraging for results on websites that might have vote totals more current than what was on the big screen. To her left, another woman was zeroed in on her smart phone and to my right, two more guests were doing the same. So was I, for that matter. I kept one eye on the TV so I didn’t miss any states changing color, but my good eye was focused on my smart phone, where I was following the running commentary of Facebook friends.
Of the people in the room, at least half were furiously working another screen.
And then, when NBC called the election for Barack Obama, our hostess jumped up and, with her smart phone, snapped a picture of the announcement on the TV screen, closing, for one fleeting moment, the screenfest loop.